Suspended DMK leader M K Alagiri on Sunday alleged that slection of DMK candidates for the April 24 Lok Sabha polls was made on the basis of “the quantum of money paid by aspirants and their affordability to contest”.

However, he did not elaborate further.

He also regretted his “mistake of helping” two persons from this district to become ministers in his father Karunanidhi’s cabinet.

Though Alagiri did not name them, KKSSR Ramachandran and Thangam Thennarasu were in the cabinet when Karunanidhi was Chief Minister between 2006 and 2011.

Chennai: If MK Alagiri’s goal was to be a free agent ahead of the national election, his mission was accomplished today. He was expelled from the DMK by his father and party chief M Karunanidhi.

Mr Alagiri, 63, was suspended in January for indiscipline after a protracted and clanging campaign against his younger brother, MK Stalin, who has even chosen by their father as his political successor.

Mr Karunanidhi, 89, said today that Mr Stalin was pink-slipped from the DMK today because he had not abstained from public criticism of the party in recent months.

Without naming his sibling, Mr Stalin had professed that his father was being influenced and misled by “traitors.” That claim was made after the DMK did not include him in its list of candidates for the national election. He represents Madurai in the Lok Sabha.

Any conciliatory effect of his declaring that he would not launch his own party till after the election was over-written by his meetings leaders of the BJP and its allies in Tamil Nadu.

The fraternising suggested that Mr Alagiri and his supporters were not above working against the DMK’s candidates despite their demurrals.

Mr Alagiri also recently lent his support to Narendra Modi, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. He said he would welcome Mr Modi as Prime Minister and there is a “Modi wave” across the country.

Mr Alagiri’s political muscle extends across 10 parliamentary constituencies in and around Madurai.